A unique blog dedicated to covering the worlds of book publishing and the news media, revealing creative ideas, practical strategies, interesting stories, and provocative opinions. Along the way, discover savvy but entertaining insights on book marketing, public relations, branding, and advertising from a veteran of two decades in the industry of book publishing publicity and marketing.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Speak With Conviction If You Want Media Coverage For Your Book

“Let’s make shit happen -- and not
let shit happen."

--Brian Feinblum

One
of the areas authors can improve when pitching the news media is to have a
confident and unrelenting frame of mind.They have to approach the process of contacting the media as one that
says:“I’ve got a good story.Someone needs to tell it.”

Now,
I’m not talking about coming from this with an egocentric mindset.That won't get you so far.That comes off as being lazy, self-centered,
and narcissistic.No one wants to hear
from someone who thinks they are entitled to coverage.Media exposure needs to be earned.

But,
you have to have confidence, resiliency, and conviction in your voice and in
your carefully worded email.The news
media needs to sense you have a genuine purpose and reason for contacting
them.They need to believe in you.Lead them.

So
how does one do this?

First,
prioritize in your mind what the truly strongest points are – and lead with
them.Don’t circle around what really
tugs at the media.Play it up. Lead with one of these:emotion, passion, news predictions, or
something that you know that the journalist personally cares about, or
something that particular media outlet likes to cover.

Second,
speak with a bit of edge.You’re not
begging them to cover something nor commanding them.You don’t want to sound weak and desperate
and you don’t want to come off as a big jerk.You want to speak in that sweet spot that blends enthusiasm with
purpose.

You
are putting on the hat of a lawyer, advocating beyond a shadow of doubt, that
what you present to them is important, useful, truthful, and interesting.If you were advocating before a judge you’d
look to make key points clear and to not rely solely on the weight of the facts
but the believing and harmonizing sound of your voice.

To
persuade anyone of anything, the other person has to appreciate your situation
in a way that gets past doubt, ignorance or debate.They have to like something about you and
relate to your plight.You need to
quickly disarm their judging eyes and humanize your story.Make them feel and care.Get them into your shoes so that they, too,
can experience as you do, and hear what you say clearly.

So
just how does one lobby for something?Ask a provocative question.Cite
an eye-opening stat.Pile up the
facts.Seek empathy.Tug at their emotional fragility.Offer something unique, new, or of
value.Promise a result that you can
deliver on.

Lastly,
think like the media.What do they need
and want?How will they perceive you?What weaknesses or holes come with your story
that need to be plugged?Most
importantly, speak with undeniable conviction and you will see results.

Editorial: Facebook Fiasco

In
seeing Mark Zuckerberg testify for 10 hours before Congress about data privacy
and the challenges of social media advertising ethics, it seems obvious to me
that, as a society, we’re screwed. No
privacy. No protection against
ill-intended advertisers. No avoidance
of fake news. No guarantees hackers can
be stopped. All in all, today’s consumer
of digital media and social media is being scammed-over and over- not just by
Russia or faceless corporations but by those we’ve entrusted our information
with – Google, Twitter, FB, Apple, Amazon, etc.
To think otherwise is foolish and idealistic.

“In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the
public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody.”

--Oscar Wilde, in The Saturday Review (1894)

“I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve.”

--Baron de
Montesquieu, Pensees
diverses (1899)

“You must put books alongside the subject they relate to if you
want to attract a wider audience. If someone is in a supermarket buying
food then it makes sense to sell cookery books there too.”

About Me

Brian Feinblum, the creator and author of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, is the chief marketing officer for the nation's largest book promotions firm, Media Connect (www.Media-Connect.com), formerly Planned Television Arts, and has been involved in book publicity and marketing since 1989. He has served several book publishing companies as a publicist, book editor, and acquisitions editor. Brian, who earned a BA in English from Brooklyn College, became a published author in 1995 when he penned The Florida Homeowner, Condo and Co-Op Handbook. He resides in Westchester, New York with his wife, two young children, and an English Bulldog.